A Czech “Pearl Harbor,” minus the attack.In English and Czech, with English subtitles. Running time: 119 minutes. Rated R (war violence, sex, profanity). At the Lincoln Plaza and the Sunshine.

BEAUTIFULLY shot and nicely acted, the Czech film “Dark Blue World” is basically the same old story about two military pilots in wartime whose rivalry for the same woman is resolved by – you know what.

Jan Sverak, who directed the charming “Kolya” a few years back, is working with a much larger budget on this World War II story, which opens in 1950 Czechoslovakia.

Frantisek (Ondrej Vetchy) is being held as a political prisoner by the Communist regime because he fought with Britain’s Royal Air Force during the war.

He recalls in flashbacks how he and a young recruit named Karel (Krystof Hadek) fled the country after the Nazi invasion and joined a squadron of his fellow expatriates in England.

At first, they’re frustrated as the stuffy British commander (Charles Dance) insists on endless training exercises before they’re allowed to take to the skies.

Shot down by Nazi pilots over England, Karel lands on a remote farm where he’s taken in by Susan (Tara Fitzgerald), whose husband is missing in action.

When Frantisek becomes involved with the same woman, their friendship is tested – and since this movie is mostly a flashback, it’s pretty clear who will survive, if not exactly get the girl.

“Dark Blue World” has some terrific aerial sequences and exciting dogfights. But the clichés in the script by Zdenek Sverak (the director’s father) keep the film firmly grounded when the action’s not aloft.